Major Product Announcements at CES

January 17, 2013

By the time the 2013 International CES® wrapped up last week, more than 150,000 people from around the world had converged on Las Vegas to experience the most cutting edge consumer technologies and devices ever on display. The show numbers are outstanding: more than 3,500 exhibitors showcased some 20,000 CE devices and services across 1.92 million net square feet of exhibit space.

Every major CE company was on hand last week at the show, exhibiting on the show floor, participating in conference sessions or getting down to business in CES meeting rooms. “We’ve seen innovation across all devices, allowing them to be simple, connected and in high def,” said Tara Dunion, senior director of communications at the Consumer Electronics Association® (CEA).

Smartphones continued to impress at this year’s show. Sony unveiled its new Xperia Z smartphone, featuring a 5-inch full HD display and 13 megapixel camera. The Xperia Z is “One-Touch” enabled, which means it can wirelessly transmit music, video and photos to other One-Touch devices. Adopting a “bigger-is-better” mentality, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei announced two new Android-based smartphones, including the Ascend Mate, which features an even larger 6.1-inch screen and a "one-hand” user interface that orients buttons to one side of the screen when the phone is being held in one hand.

Big-screen TVs with Ultra High Definition displays from Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, LG and others dazzled show goers. Samsung also debuted a super-thin bendable OLED TV, and showed a prototype of a phone featuring a flexible screen that could be folded in half like a book. On display in the Hisense booth was a prototype of a new transparent 3DTV that allows light and images to pass through.

Recognizing the need for smarter energy consumption, Sharp unveiled several new panel displays for monitors and smartphones that use IGZO technology, the next generation in organic LED displays which saves power and preserves battery life.

In the digital health and fitness arena, Omron, the world’s largest manufacturer of blood pressure monitors, launched several new products, including a continuous, strapless heart rate monitor that tracks heart rate, pace, distance and calories burned without a chest strap. New products from Fitbit, Withings and BodyMedia were also on display.

More than 200 companies showcased the latest in smart home appliance technology. LG’s Door-in-Door Refrigerator features a dual-access door, which is both more energy efficient and more convenient. LG also featured smart laundry, smart vacuum and smart oven options, all of which can be remotely controlled via a smartphone.

With eight of the 10 largest car manufactures on hand at CES, new products and features abounded from companies including Audi, Lexus and Ford. New integrated safety systems in the 2013 Lexus LS offer advanced GPS, sensors that can help prevent accidents, and sensors that can tell the difference between a red light and a green light.

For gamers, the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset, offers a fully-immersive gaming experience with a seamless, high-res display and high-quality depth perception. Other new gaming products included the Nvidia’s Project Shield, a portable gaming console, the Sifteo, a wireless, interactive gaming system, and the Razer Edge, a tablet designed for PC gamers.